China Case Study Situation Analysis on the Effects of and Responses to COVID-19 on the Education Sector in Asia - UNICEF
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1 China Case Study Situation Analysis on the Effects of and Responses to COVID-19 on the Education Sector in Asia
UNESCO – a global leader in education The Global Education 2030 Agenda
Education is UNESCO’s top priority because it is a basic UNESCO, as the United Nations’ specialized agency for
human right and the foundation for peace and sustainable education, is entrusted to lead and coordinate the Education
development. UNESCO is the United Nations’ specialized 2030 Agenda, which is part of a global movement to eradicate
agency for education, providing global and regional leadership poverty through 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
to drive progress, strengthening the resilience and capacity Education, essential to achieve all of these goals, has its
of national systems to serve all learners and responding own dedicated Goal 4, which aims to “ensure inclusive and
to contemporary global challenges through transformative equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
learning, with special focus on gender equality and Africa opportunities for all.” The Education 2030 Framework for
across all actions. Action provides guidance for the implementation of this
ambitious goal and commitments.
UNICEF
UNICEF believes that every child has the right to learn,
irrespective of gender, disabilities, poverty, ethnic and
linguistic backgrounds, or nationality/ migration status.
UNICEF promotes equity and inclusion in all its work
around the world to provide learning opportunities
that begin in early childhood and prepare every child
everywhere with the knowledge and skills needed to
thrive, and to build a better world for everyone.
China Case Study Situation Analysis on the Effects of and Responses to COVID-19 on the Education Sector in Asia October 2021
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FOREWORD 5
Foreword
The pandemic caused a major children’s rights crisis: all
service sectors being profoundly impacted, with the most
disadvantaged being disproportionately affected.
COVID-19 – possibly the largest pandemic the world While major efforts are needed to mitigate the learning
has ever seen - led to an economic crisis probably more loss of those children who return to school in the post-
radical and global than ever before; as well as disruption of COVID-19 recovery phase, we must also remember that
learning on an unprecedented scale. The pandemic caused many children were not learning before the crisis and
a major children’s rights crisis: all service sectors being several million were not even in schools. The reports
profoundly impacted, with the most disadvantaged being therefore also explore opportunities to build back better
disproportionately affected. and to re-imagine education; to shift from fact-based
didactic methodologies to competency-based approaches,
In response, with support from the Global Partnership
which are more flexible, better respond to the holistic
for Education, UNICEF and UNESCO joined forces with
needs and aspirations of all children, and provide
Mott MacDonald, Cambridge Education to carry out a
opportunities for life-long learning as per the Sustainable
situation analysis, primarily to generate analyses to inform
Development Goals (SDG) 4 agenda.
strategic responses to the crisis going forward. While
the extension and duration of the pandemic required to While the suite of reports provided within the Regional
invest more time to produce the final analyses and reports, Situation Analysis are particularly relevant to the Asia
fortunately information had already been discussed Pacific region, contexts of course vary considerably across
through webinars and national conversations with our huge region. At the same time, the reports may also
Ministries of Education and other partners across large provide insights that are relevant to other regions around
parts of the Asia Pacific region. the world. Hopefully the findings, including the country
case studies, and regional budget needs analysis will help
Furthermore, the reports continue to be of utmost
governments resume and accelerate progress towards
relevance given subsequent waves of COVID-19 sweeping
SDG 4. The way education is conceptualized and delivered
across the world in 2021 and very likely in 2022 as well.
is changing fast, and the transformation journey will be
The task of learning from the crisis and how to mitigate
steep and full of challenges. Governments, donors, all
its effects in education is on-going. More than one
partners and the private sector will need to work together,
academic year has now been lost for many children. To
not only to get the strategies and levels of investment
ensure continuity of learning whilst schools are closed, the
right, but to build more resilient, effective and inclusive
delivery of education is radically changing today through
systems, able to deliver on the promise of education as a
distance education: digital, blended or hybrid learning
fundamental human right for all children, whether schools
have become part of the new learning reality which all
are open or closed.
Governments, teachers and learners will have to adjust to.
Shigeru Aoyagi Marcoluigi Corsi George Laryea-Adjie
Director Director a.i. Regional Director
UNESCO Bangkok UNICEF East Asia and Pacific UNICEF South Asia
Contents
Foreword 5
Acknowledgements 8
List of acronyms 9
Executive summary 10
Country fact sheet 14
01. Introduction 16
1.1. Background 17
1.2. Methodology 18
1.3. Report structure 18
02. Effects of and response to COVID-19
on the education sector in China 20
2.1. Profile of China education system prior to pandemic 21
2.2. Effects of COVID-19 against four dimensions 24
2.3. Education sector response to COVID-19 and support to continuity of learning 29
03. Thematic deep dive: Community-based education 40
3.1. The challenge 41
3.2. The response 41
3.3. Analysing the response 56
04. Lessons learned 58
4.1. lessons learned 59
4.2. Recommendations for increasing resilience to future emergencies and crises 60
4.3. Conclusion 63
Annex A: Participant list of Wuhan interviews 65
Annex B: Bibliography 66
Endnotes 67
7
Tables
Table 1. Year levels of primary and secondary education in China 21
Table 2. Results of basic education reform since the people’s Republic of China
founded in 1949 21
Table 3. Ratio of teachers with qualified degrees in 2019 22
Table 4. COVID-19 situation in China as of 20 January, 2021 24
Table 5. Examples of main education platforms and tools 30
Table 6. School reopening plans 34
Table 7. Internet development in China 42
Table 8. DCUL tools for students 44
Table 9. Summary of national online resources provided by government 46
Table 10. Example of curriculum schedule for grade 12 in Beijing 46
Table 11. An example of curriculum schedule offered by the CETV 4 47
Table 12. An example of teaching time for DCUL in Zhejiang 48
Table 13. An example of daily curriculum schedule for senior grades in primary schools 48
Table 14. Participation of private enterprises in supporting undisrupted learning in China 49
Table 15. DCUL implementation period by education stage 51
Table 16. Profile of Wuhan education 52
Figures
Figure 1. Three phases of school reopening 18
Figure 2. Four dimensions of analysis of effects 18
Figure 3. School closure and reopening during COVID-19 outbreak 29
Figure 4. Science learning model 35
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8
Acknowledgements
We would like to sincerely thank the following people who We would also like to thank members of the UNICEF China
made valuable contributions to the development of this and UNESCO Beijing teams for their contributions and for
case study: providing relevant documents used in the study:
Fang Jun Sanaullah Panezai
Deputy General Manager, Department of International Chief of Education Section, UNICEF China
Cooperation and Exchange, MoE
Fu Ning
Fang Yiwei Education Officer, UNICEF China
Officer, Department of International Cooperation and
Robert Parua
Exchange, MoE
Programme Specialist – Education, UNESCO Beijing
Dong Yipin
Tianzhou Zhao
Division Chief, International Cooperation and Exchange
Education Programme Assistant, UNESCO Beijing
Division, Wuhan Education Bureau
Nyi Nyi Thaung
Peng Xiaohou
Programme Specialist, UNESCO Bangkok
Deputy Division Chief, Basic education division, Wuhan
Education Bureau Amalia Miranda Serrano
Project Officer, UNESCO Bangkok
Zheng Weiguo
Deputy Division Chief, Physical, health and arts education Akihiro Fushimi, Education Specialist and Dominik
division, Wuhan Education Bureau Koeppl, Education in Emergency Specialist from the
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), for
Zhang hanqiang
providing comments in the finalization of this document.
Director General, Wuhan Education Research Institute
Ivan Coursac, Education Specialist/Economist from
Peng Kaiyun
the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) for
Director General, Wuhan Continuing Education Center for
expertly leading this rapid Situation Analysis of the effect of
School Principals and Teachers
COVID-19 in the education sector in Asia.
Xu Xueping
Emma Mba, Cambridge Education Project Director,
Teacher, West Avenue Primary School, Hanyang district,
Sue Williamson, Cambridge Education Team Leader,
Wuhan
Ira Sangar, Cambridge Education Project Manager,
Tao Yiping Anya Wang, Cambridge Education Advisor and main
Vice Principal, Zhongjiacun Boarding School, Hanyang author of this report.
district, Wuhan
Finally, we also wish to express special appreciation to the
Sheng Aijun Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for their financial
Vice Principal, Wujiashan No.3 Primary School, Dongxihu contribution to the production of this report.
district, Wuhan
Yang Hong
Principal, Changchunjie Primary school, Jiang’an district,
Wuhan
LIST OF ACRONYMS 99 List of acronyms BAES Beijing Academy of Educational Science CNNIC China Internet Network Information Center CETV China Education Television CCTV China Central Television CPC Communist Party of China COVID-19 Coronavirus disease DCUL Disrupted Classes, Undisrupted Learning ICT Information and Communication Technology EMIS Education Management Information System ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education MOE Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China MIIT Ministry of Industry and Information Technology MCA Ministry of Civil Affairs CHINA CDC Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention NNCP National Network Cloud Platform for Primary and Secondary School NTTP National Teacher Training Program ODME Online Dual Master Escorting NMLERD Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PISA Programme for International Student Assessment SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome TEOS Two Exemptions, One Subsidy WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WCEC Wuhan Continuing Education Centre for Primary and Secondary Principals and Teachers WEB Wuhan Education Bureau WECP Wuhan Education Cloud Platform WAES Wuhan Academy of Educational Science
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 10
Executive summary
The People’s Republic of China (hereafter ‘China’) has the
most extensive education system in the world, with 282
Effects and challenges of
million1 students and 17.32 million full-time teachers in over COVID-19
530,000 schools across the country. The attendance rate of
students in their nine-year compulsory education exceeded The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 brought China
average levels recorded in high-income countries. The net into static lockdowns. School closures were regarded
turnout rate of primary students reached 95 per cent2, with as an effective measure to contain the spread of the
lower secondary at 73 per cent. Some rural areas, however, pandemic. However, it posed unprecedented challenges
still experienced persistent drop-out rates, especially with for the continuity of quality education and learning for all.
secondary students, due to education quality issues and
a How to keep about 282 million students learning
poverty. In recent decades China has built a world-class
and protect their health and well-being during the
primary and secondary education system, in line with its
pandemic? All schools were shut down on 17 February,
remarkable economic and social development.
2020 in order to protect the safety of students and
The pandemic had an immense impact on all aspects of teachers and contain the spread of COVID-19. The
life in China, including the education sector. Globally, China large-scale and sudden school closures stopped regular
was the first country to deal with COVID-19. However, face-to-face teaching and learning, and hampered the
due to the outbreak of SARS in 2003, a responsive and provision of education services to children – especially
transparent emergency system was gradually built, which those from poor families and in remote areas due to
laid a good foundation to contain the more challenging the lack of access to internet and devices. In addition,
COVID-19. Interventions from all stakeholders were aligned there were increased risks of children developing
for a safe, resilient and inclusive recovery. All schools physical and psychological problems while isolating at
were closed on 17 February, 2020, but started to reopen home during lockdowns.
in March, before fully reopening in September in a gradual a How to equip teachers with the right digital skills
manner. Importantly, it managed to open and operate at speed to deliver online teaching effectively?
schools with no reports of cluster transmissions. Regardless of gender, age, experience, education
background and location, teachers had to rapidly
This case study is part of a series of reports across Asia
adapt from face-to-face education to distance
commissioned by UNICEF and UNESCO to share good
teaching and learning. They needed a totally different
practices and lessons across countries. Drawing on
set of knowledge and skills to do this, not only in
key insights and accounts shared by education officials,
curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, but also
administrators and stakeholders in Wuhan (including
digital instructional tools, platforms and facilities. The
teachers, students and parents), Beijing and Pingliang, the
pandemic pushed teachers to the forefront of the
case study outlines the challenges China confronted to
education response, where they had to confront a
implement nationwide distance education, and highlights
variety of challenges faster than previously thought
successful experiences and lessons learned from the
possible.
initiatives. This is followed by recommendations to build-
a How to guarantee access to education for
back better by constructing a more resilient response, and
children from poor and migrant worker families
inform future educational development and reforms.
in remote areas? Data from the National Bureau
With a brief introduction on the background, methodology of Statistics showed there was a 6.8 per cent drop
and report structure in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 then sets out in gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter
the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector in China of 2020. From January to March, the number of job
and its reply at speed and scale. The response aimed to opportunities and recruited employees also shrank by
tackle the threats and challenges posed by the pandemic, more than 27 per cent, compared to the same period
and provide support to sustain education continuity – in 20193. Income of migrant workers was reduced
especially for vulnerable groups. or lost, as they were unable to return to work due toCHINA CASE STUDY 11
travel restrictions and lockdown measures. Livelihoods Communities took active measures to reduce safety
of families were threatened in an unprecedented way. risks. Efforts were specially made to strengthen
This led to a significant toll on the poor and vulnerable, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities such
for whom access to education was affected. At the as increasing the student-water tap ratio from 50:1 to
same time, lack of computers and the internet in poor 20:14. All schools were reopened in September 2020
families and remote areas also restricted disadvantaged and have operated safely, with few intermittent school
groups to access and participate in online education. closures thereafter.
a How to develop a systematic emergency response a Health and well-being: The Ministry of Education
by joint efforts of the government at all levels? of the People’s Republic of China (MoE) prioritized
With the world’s largest school population, as well the health and well-being of all children. The
as diversified levels in quality of Information and curriculum allowed space for physical exercise, and
Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, it comprehensive psychological support was offered
was challenging to provide online classes to keep all at three stages (‘Prior to reopening’, ‘Part of the re-
students learning and to prepare facilities for reopening opening process’, and ‘With schools reopened’). This
in China. Coordinating between central and school support included protocols, hotlines, online lessons
levels within the education sector, as well as across and videos. Guidance was also provided through
different sectors to initiate and manage a prompt and parent committees and parent schools5. Due to online
effective response, generated heavy workloads and learning through digital devices, the rate of myopia
organizational challenges. increased, so eyesight protection was focused upon
by key stakeholders6. MoE also worked jointly with
Mitigating learning losses the other five departments to create a healthy network
environment to protect students from cyberbullying,
and protecting health and games, and inappropriate sexual content, etc7.
well-being a Financial support: An array of measures were
introduced to enable an agile and rapid response,
and to support the economic recovery process. A
A holistic and combined effort was made to respond
set of supportive policies were issued at each of the
effectively to the emergency at the ministry, provincial,
aforementioned three stages. Financial assistance was
municipal, and school levels, and a national distance
provided to ensure education continuity, including fee
education strategy was deployed to reduce the impact
reduction, exemption of tuition, and subsidies, etc. Free
of the pandemic. Measures were taken in the following
devices and take-away learning packages, an internet
dimensions:
subsidy, and a special living allowance were among
a Learning continuity: Disrupted Classes Undisrupted initiatives offered to vulnerable groups to guarantee
Learning (DCUL) was delivered to ensure learning their education access and promote equitable
continuity for students. Overall, 22 provincial online schooling.
learning platforms plus one TV channel were mobilized
at the national level, while various provincial, municipal Chapter 3 presents a case study focusing on one area of
and school-based platforms and TV programming China’s successful response to COVID-19, the launch of
complemented them. Online learning resources were the aforementioned DCUL. The DCUL case demonstrated
made available on the National Network Cloud-Platform a good example of how to sustain education continuity
for Educational Resources and Public Service,which for a huge student population by launching large-scale
allowed access via computer, mobile phones and distance education under strict lockdowns and travel
tablet PCs. Free textbooks and learning packages restrictions. Beijing, Wuhan and Pingliang were selected
were posted to children without access to internet as representative areas from different contexts to take a
or TV. Private education companies contributed both closer look at DCUL delivery at a municipal level, and to
their products and services to enable free access to share best practice.
teachers and students.
a Safe operations and community participation:
The government developed and updated policies and
protocols on epidemic prevention and control, hand-
washing habits and methods, distancing measures,
etc., to guide schools and prepare for reopening.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 12
Deep dive into DCUL a Schools, teachers, learners and parents: Key
stakeholders were mobilized by the government to
implementation play their role and united to implement DCUL from
different aspects.
To implement DCUL effectively, a number of challenges a Diversified learning resources and packages:
lay ahead, including providing equitable learning access High-quality and rich learning resources such as the
for about 200 million primary and secondary students, Ministerial and Provincial Model Courses were available
offering diversified high-quality online learning packages to support the delivery of DCUL at the national,
to meet individual needs, improving the teaching function provincial, municipal, district and school levels. Master
of existing online education platforms, balancing teaching teachers were organized to develop resources to
plans for elite schools and disadvantaged schools, and reduce pressure on ordinary teachers.
ensuring examinees were not disadvantaged for high-stake a Adapted curriculum: The curriculum was adapted
exams. The deep dive into DCUL analysed the measures based on the length of time, structure of distance
taken for implementing an inclusive and equitable distance learning, the content, and cognitive characteristics, etc.
education, as well as its strength and areas for further a Monitoring and evaluation: Online inspection and
development. research was carried out through different modalities
and frequency to support teachers in online teaching.
a Education system: MoE integrated resources at
Timely advice was provided for typical issues identified
all levels to ensure DCUL delivery and provided
in the distance teaching and learning, while good
guidance booklets. Cooperation between developed
practice was shared with more teachers in the schools
and underdeveloped regions was advocated for
and districts.
comprehensive coverage of students.
a Public-private partnership: Private educational
a Internet access to support DCUL – fibre coverage
companies voluntarily offered free access to their
was expanded quickly to support online teaching:
service and products, especially for vulnerable students
Efforts were made to improve network connectivity
like those from poor families and in areas affected by
and provide free devices. Discounted or free internet
COVID-19. This enriched the resource provision for
packages were offered for vulnerable groups mainly
distance learning.
based on poverty.
© UNICEF/Yuyuan Ma/CHINA CASE STUDY 13
DCUL was rolled out to all regions on 17 February, 2020 as Chapter 4 presents lessons learned from the case study
the national response to ensure continuity of learning. It and recommendations, which consider ways to build
finished in June, but the duration varied from province to on the successes, plans and lessons learned from the
province depending on how long it took to curb the spread COVID-19 experience. They are aligned with the 13th Five-
of COVID-19 and reopen schools. A snapshot showcases year Plan and Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium
DCUL implementation in three different regions: and Long-term Education Reform and Development 2010-
2020 (NMLERD). They are summarized below:
a DCUL in Beijing: An all-media learning solution was
offered for students in the capital. Systematic trainings a Increase investment to build on the existing teaching
were organized to prepare schools, teachers, students and learning resources and inform the provision of
and parents for distance learning, with follow-up more localized and tailor-made ones and develop;
support provided. Layered municipal and school-based a Enhance the capacity of teachers to conduct student-
resources were developed to meet individual student centred blended education;
needs. Quality and effectiveness of DCUL was the a Cultivate more independent learners to improve
focus of teachers and students. outcomes and be better prepared for life-long learning;
a DCUL in Wuhan: DCUL was implemented in a a Reduce the digital gap and its impact on education
systematic way led by Wuhan Education Bureau. A equity for children in remote and rural areas;
timely policy guide was provided to support the a Strengthen data-informed monitoring and evaluation;
delivery. Specific strategies were developed for all and
primary and junior secondary schools at the district a Review the overall effect of the investment in
level, such as development of teaching and learning educational technology to improve future construction
plans and video lessons. Customized individual action plans, and support educational development.
plans were formulated for every senior high school.
Education continuity of children from poor families, In conclusion, DCUL has generally achieved its goal of
who or whose family members were infected, of offering equitable access to distance education for all
migrant workers, and whose parents were health-care children. It revealed challenges for further improvement,
workers was the main focus of attention. such as online learning quality and outcomes. The
a DCUL in Pingliang: DCUL ensured undisrupted COVID-19 pandemic has been transforming the traditional
learning for students in Pingliang, but faced more teaching and learning model, which is also a big incentive/
challenges in learning facilities, skills, resources and motivation to drive innovations on integration of digital
environment. Measures were taken to reduce the gap technology in teaching, future learning models, teaching
among urban and rural students and prevent dropout and assessment, and policies to support vulnerable groups.
rates. Regular monitoring and evaluation on the quality
of DCUL implementation was carried out to inform As COVID-19 continues to challenge education provisions
DCUL practice. in countries around the world, China is still scaling up
its education responses through better-informed and
The analysis of DCUL practices revealed interesting
tailored policymaking, strong public-private partnerships,
findings in the areas of access and outcomes of
and institutional development to achieve recovery and
vulnerable groups, learning resources, achievement and
rebuilding. Swift, adaptive and collaborative efforts will be
losses, teacher skills, parental support and psychological
critical to achieve lifelong learning goals in the region.
support, cross-department cooperation, and public-private
partnership.COUNTRY FACT SHEET 14
Country fact sheet
The table below provides a snapshot of the
pandemic, the response of the education sector
and some background information.
DIMENSION INDICATOR/QUESTION INFORMATION
Epidemiology 8 Date of first confirmed case 31 December, 2019.
Date of first confirmed death 11 January, 2020.
COVID-19 cases and deaths over time 99,191 cases including 4,807 deaths (As of 20 January, 2021)9.
During the initial period, when the seriousness of the virus
was being assessed, the pandemic was limited to Wuhan. The
Details about the pandemic and
government responded quickly, locking down the city and
Government responses and supports
conducting mass testing. The virus spread further to other locations
and a nation-wide lockdown was introduced.
School closure Were schools closed partially or fully? The Ministry decided to close all schools on 17 February, 2020.
Date of school closures 17 February, 2020.
Early March 2020 started from Grade 12 and/or 9 to other grades in
secondary schools, and then primary schools and kindergartens in
Date of school reopening Qinghai, Guizhou, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Tibet,
Shanxi, Jiangsu, and Shaanxi in a gradual manner. More provinces
reopened schools in April, May, and June, 2020.
Have schools reopened fully or partially? Schools reopened fully in September, 2020.
Key vulnerable groups Children from poor families.
Children in remote and rural areas.
Key vulnerable groups affected by the Children whose parents are medical staff.
impact of COVID-19 on the education sector Children whose family members were infected.
Children with disabilities.
Children from ethnic minority groups.
Education system structure China has the largest state-run education system in the world. It
offers nine years of government-funded compulsory education,
which includes six years of primary school and three years of junior
high school.
It is a hybrid system that is highly centralized in terms of policy
development and decision-making. At the same time, it is
Brief description of the structure of the decentralized in the actual educational delivery and implementation.
education system – federal or centralized A four-level educational management system is adopted, including
in the central, provincial, municipal and county. County education
bureaus play a key role in basic education, supported by vertical
hierarchical management. Vocational education has been gradually
established under the leadership of the State Council, while the
central and provincial governments take the lead in the management
of higher education.CHINA CASE STUDY 15
Education Data10 Number of Students Number of Schools
Student-Teacher
# Full-time Teachers
Ratio (Public)
School Type: Total Private Total Private
ECCE 47,138,800 26,494,400 281,200 173,200 2,763,100 15.9:1
Primary Education 105,612,400 9,449,100 160,100 6,228 6,269,100 16.9:1
Junior Secondary 48,271,400 6,874,000 52,400 5,793 3,747,400 12.9:1
Special Education 794,600 NA 2,192 NA 62,400 NA
Senior Secondary (Regular Senior
39,949,000 3,596,800 24,400 3,42711 1,859,242 13.0:1
Secondary Schools)
Higher Education (Regular Higher
40,020,000 7,088,300 2,688 757 1,740,100 18.0:1
Education Institutions)
Pre-COVID-19 progress towards China managed to stay on track and continue to progress towards SDG4 targets.
SDG4 indicators
2019 National Education Development Statistics12:
Stage of Education Net Enrolment Rate
Primary Education 99.94%
Stage of Education Gross Enrolment Rate
ECCE 83.4%
Junior Secondary Education 102.6%
Senior Secondary Education 89.5%
Higher Education 51.6%
Disabled Children (Compulsory Education Stage) 95%15
Retention Rate of Nine-year Compulsory Education 94.8%INTRODUCTION 16
01
Introduction
© UNICEF/UNI336256/MaCHINA CASE STUDY 17
With its huge population and overcrowded
cities, Asia is potentially very vulnerable to
COVID-19, which spreads through close
contact with infected people.
This Situation Analysis has been undertaken as part of the
1.1. Background broader examination initiated by UNICEF and UNESCO,
to provide a snapshot of the educational responses and
The global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic makes it effects of COVID-19 across Asia. It considers the direct
different, affecting the whole world with the twin shocks effects of school closures and reopening, and identifies
of a health emergency and an economic recession. the initial impact that this may have on learners, their
This will lead to long-term costs on human capital families, and the overall education system. In doing so, it
accumulation, development prospects and welfare. The aims to develop insight based on the variety of responses
pandemic’s containment measures have disproportionally to the pandemic, with a view to assessing their efficacy in
affected the most vulnerable and marginalized members Asia. It seeks understanding on the contextual factors that
of society. may have supported or hindered learning, with particular
attention on the most disadvantaged groups (who will be
most affected by the pandemic). For this, the analysis has
Some of the most susceptible children felt the side-effects
the following objectives:
of COVID-19 from the moment nationwide lockdowns
were put in place to control its spread. Markets, a To assess and estimate the various impacts of the
workshops, farms and factories closed, leaving children COVID-19 epidemic on the education sector and
and families stranded. For many, the fear and uncertainty stakeholders in Asia;
continue. Some minorities find themselves stigmatized
a To examine policy and financial implications on
and accused of causing or spreading the virus, while deep-
progress towards achieving SDG4-Education 2030; and
rooted inequalities in societies are being exposed.
a To identify examples of promising responses and
strategies in education and associated social sectors,
With its huge population and overcrowded cities, Asia is
which can be shared with other countries.
potentially very vulnerable to COVID-19, which spreads
through close contact with infected people. The contexts
within which people of South Asia, South East Asia and The Situation Analysis identifies examples of effective
East Asia are having to cope with the virus are vastly country approaches, which could be replicated or adapted
different, with a disparity in living conditions and varying for use in other countries. Following the development of
degrees of access to, and quality of, essential services the case studies (including this China situation analysis),
such as health and education. Across the continent the overall study will include an overview of the situation in
there is vast inequality between rich and poor, and each of the three Asian sub-regions, and finally the region
therefore different levels of resilience to the shocks that as a whole.
this disease has brought, putting the deprived at long-
term risks far beyond contracting the virus. This region
regularly suffers from calamities, which lead to localized
learning interruptions. For example, during the pandemic,
Cambodia and the Philippines were in the path of a
cyclone, and recent floods have threatened communities.INTRODUCTION 18
1.2. Methodology 1.3. Report structure
The study includes an overview of the situation in each The case studies are structured in four sections. After this
of these three sub-regions, with case studies providing introduction and a country fact sheet, Chapter 2 discusses
a more in-depth look at specific areas in 14 countries. the effects of COVID-19 on the education system against
The case studies have been supported by the UNICEF four dimensions (see Figure 2 below). Challenges are
and UNESCO offices in each country. They have provided identified and then the responses are set out against the
relevant information and assisted the researchers to three phases of school reopening (see Figure 1 below),
contact relevant officials to collect country-specific depending on the specific context of each case study
documents, grey literature and data that will help us tell the country. Chapter 3 provides a deep dive into a particular
story of the COVID-19 disruption across Asia, its impact, theme, which was identified in each case study country by
and the responses of each education system. the UNICEF and UNESCO country teams. Finally, Chapter
4 provides an overview of the lessons learned, providing
In addition to a literature review, the case study involved
specific recommendations for the case study country and
interviews with key stakeholders (listed in Annex A),
other countries on building back better, increasing the
which include UNICEF and UNESCO teams, teachers
resilience of the education system to future shocks, and
and principals from four primary schools in Wuhan, and
reimagining education.
government officials from the Wuhan Education Bureau,
Wuhan Institute of Education and Science, and Wuhan
Continuing Education Centre for Primary and Secondary
School Principals and Teachers. This has provided an
opportunity to learn more about the challenges faced and
responses developed, and provided a space for discussion
and debate on lessons learned and what still needs to
be done.
F I G U R E 1 | T H R E E P H A S E S O F S C H O O L R E O P EN I N G
1
Prior to
reopening 2 Reopening
process 3
Schools
reopened
F I G U R E 2 | F O U R D I M EN S I O N S O F A N A LY S I S O F EF F E C T S
Access to and Safe operations Health, well-being Finances
participation in and protection
learningCHINA CASE STUDY 19
© UNICEF/UNI325113EFFECTS OF AND RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ON THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN CHINA 20
02
Effects of and response
to COVID-19 on the
education sector in
China
© UNICEF/Yuyuan Ma/CHINA CASE STUDY 21
TABLE 1 | YEAR LEVELS OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
Situated in eastern Asia, China is an upper-middle-income
EDUCATION IN CHINA
country and the world’s second largest economy. But its
per capita income is still only about a quarter of that of
high-income countries, and about 373 million Chinese are ELEMENTARY JUNIOR SENIOR HIGH
SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL
living below the upper-middle-income poverty line of $5.50 SCHOOL
a day14. It has a population of 1.4 billion people.
1st – 6th 1st – 3rd 1st – 3rd
Year Level
With the world’s largest population, China has the most (Grades)
(Grade 1 – 6) (Grade 7- 9) (Grade 10-12)
extensive education system on the planet, with about 282
million students and 17.32 million full-time teachers in over
530,000 schools. School provision reflects the diversity of
the country, with elite schools in the big cities coexisting
with the vast numbers of schools in the countryside
operating on completely different levels of quality15. The 2.1. Profile of China
gap is mainly reflected in the distribution of education
resources and quality of teaching. With the deepening of
education system prior
the urbanization process, better-trained teachers choose to pandemic
to work in elite schools located in developed first and
second-tier cities, while remote cities or rural schools face “Strengthening education is fundamental to our pursuit
the challenge of a lack of well-trained teachers due to of national rejuvenation. We must give priority to
geographical and economic development constraints. education, further reform education, speed up its
modernization and develop education in a way that
Diversified schooling was offered to meet the needs
people are satisfied with,” Chinese President Xi Jinping,
of different groups of children, including public schools,
also General Secretary of the Communist Party of
private schools, international schools, and schools for
China (CPC) Central Committee, said at the 19th CPC
children with special needs. A free nine-year compulsory
National Congress in October 201716.
education has been implemented since 1986, when China
issued the Compulsory Education Law. The levels of The government has placed a high priority on education
education are set out in Table 1. The academic year in China development, as it is regarded as key to the national
is run as a two-semester system: Spring Semester is from strategy to revitalize the country. Constant efforts were
February/March – June/July; and Autumn Semester is from made to deepen the reform of the educational system, and
September – December/January. said reforms have yielded fruitful outcomes (Table 2). In
general, the enrolled students are gender balanced. Girls
take up 42 to 54 per cent at each stage of education17.
TA B L E 2 | R E S U LT S O F B A S I C ED U C AT I O N R EF O R M S I N C E T H E P E O P L E’ S R EP U B L I C O F C H I N A
F O U N D ED I N 19 4 9 18
TYPES OF DATA 1949 2015
Literacy rate 20% 96.4%
1950 2019 2020 (Target)19
Gross enrolment rate of ECCE 0.4% 83.4% 70% (Target for Medium and Long-term)
1949 2018 2020 (Target)
Net enrolment rate of primary education 20% 99.94% 94.8%
1949 2019 2020 (Target)
Gross enrolment rate of junior secondary education 3.1% 102.6% 94.8%
Gross enrolment rate of senior secondary education 1.1% 89.5% 90%
Gross enrolment rate of higher education 0.26% 51.6% 40% (Target for medium and long-term)
Enrolment rate for children with disabilities N/A 95% 95%*
Retention rate of nine-year compulsory education N/A 94.8% 95%
* www.moe.gov.cn/jyb_xwfb/xw_fbh/moe_2069/xwfbh_2017n/xwfb_20170728/170728_mtbd/201707/t20170731_310410.htmlEFFECTS OF AND RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ON THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN CHINA 22
China continued to make strides in the reform of basic International Student Assessment (PISA) from Shanghai
education. The National Educational Development Statistics since 2009; Beijing, Jiangsu and Guangdong since 2015;
showed the gross enrolment rates in primary schools and and Zhejiang since 2018. The four regions took the PISA
junior high schools were 99.94 per cent and 102.6 per cent test and outperformed the majority of students from
respectively as of 2019 (Table 2), exceeding their target other education systems. Although these four provinces
values for 2020 as set in NMLERD. In the meantime, some in eastern China do not represent all of China, each of
areas are still combating dropout rates in compulsory them is actually as large as a typical OECD country, where
education to make sure no child is left out of schooling, and income levels are well below the OECD average. The OECD
guarantee the retention rate. As of 30 November, 2020 the China Education Quality Report explained that China’s
registered number of dropouts in the education system had outstanding performance in PISA is the result of long-
been reduced from 600,000 in early 2019 to 831 by the end term support for a high-quality education system, which
of November 202020. depends to a large extent on the quality of teachers. As one
of PISA’s outstanding education systems, China prioritizes
The average number of years of education for the
the development of a strong teaching workforce in its
working-age population reached 10.7 in November 2020.
policy agenda.
Of new entrants into the workforce, 50.9 per cent had
received higher schooling, with an average of 13.7 years Improving the educational qualifications of teachers is one of
of education21. Both of these indicators surpassed the national educational development initiatives (see Table 3).
China’s target for human resource development in the 13th Overall, there is still room for teachers to improve their
Five-Year Plan. entrance qualification, especially at the primary and junior
secondary stage. Teachers from the poorest and most
China has established a student financial-aid policy system
remote areas have been trained for about nine-million
covering all education stages. From 2016 to 2020, a total of
person-times26 during the 13th Five-year Plan to improve
391 million students from poor areas were supported, and
the quality of education in rural schools. With regards to the
the amount of financial assistance reached 773.9 billion
salary, teachers are among the highest paid civil servants,
yuan (approximately $120.3 billion22). The national Nutrition
ranking 7th among all the industries as shown in the data of
Improvement Programme for Rural Compulsory Education
National Bureau of Statistics in 201927. However, there was
Students covered 1,634 counties (more than half of the
a big difference between the salary of teachers in developed
total counties in China), and more than 130,000 schools,
areas of eastern China and remote areas of central and
benefiting over 37 million students.
western China. The government has tried to close the gap
In the last 10 to 15 years, the government has also strived by providing additional incentives for teachers in rural areas.
to improve the basic public education services for pre-
school provision. Two successive pre-school education
action plans have been implemented, and the coverage
of universally affordable kindergartens (charging childcare TABLE 3 | RATIO OF TEACHERS WITH QUALIFIED
and accommodation fees at a government-directed price) DEGREES IN 2019
has now reached 76 per cent. Meanwhile, 99.8 per cent of
TYPES OF QUALIFICATION
compulsory education schools (including teaching points23) TEACHER RATE
URBAN RURAL
have also met the basic operation requirements. The ECCE teachers
proportion of large-size classes (56 students and above in (Graduated from
98.4% 99.34% 97.46%
senior high schools
one class) has dropped from 12.7 per cent in 2016 to 3.98 and above)
per cent in 202024. Primary school
teachers (Graduated
99.97% 99.99% 99.96%
At the compulsory education stage, the test-free admission from Senior High
schools and above)
to nearby schools and the policy of joint admission by public Junior secondary
and private schools were fully implemented nationwide; teacher (Graduated
99.88% 99.93% 99.85%
from colleges and
test-free admission to nearby schools in 24 big cities has above)
reached 98.6 per cent, while 85.3 per cent of children of Teachers of general
migrant workers were admitted to public schools25. senior secondary
schools (Graduated 98.6% NA NA
from universities and
Chinese students have been the top performers in reading, above)
mathematics and science in the Organisation for Economic Higher rducation
Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for (Bachelor’s degree 75% NA NA
and above)CHINA CASE STUDY 23
China has made noticeable achievements in improving Challenges facing the education
the use of educational technology prior to the pandemic,
which has played a key role in supporting education
system
development28. MoE and the Ministry of Industry and Along with the progress made in the education sector,
Information Technology (MIIT) jointly implemented a number of challenges lie ahead for the education
the ‘School Networking Initiative’. Some salient system, with education quality and equity at the top. The
features include: high enrolment rates for basic education showed that
education access is not a critical issue nationally, but the
a All teaching points in remote areas are fully covered by
development of compulsory education in rural and urban
digital education resources;
areas is unbalanced. The quality of education in ethnic
a Internet access coverage in primary and secondary
minority areas needs further development. Safeguards
schools has increased from 25 per cent in 201229 to
for inclusive pre-school education calls for more efforts
99.7 per cent in 2020, and the proportion of multimedia
to be put in place. Special education and specialized
classrooms has increased from less than 40 per cent to
education reforms are still in their infancy. The system
95.2 per cent;
also encouraged diversified development of secondary
a The National Network Cloud-Platform for Education
education. Looking forward, these challenges are also
Resources and Public Service has been completed and
listed as the focus for future reform in the National 14th
28 provincial platforms connected to the system;
Five-year Plan.
a 20,000 national and provincial online demonstration
lessons have been developed to strengthen classroom The number of dropouts reduced dramatically in the past
teaching; five years and have reached an historic low. Sustaining the
a More than 10 million teachers and 10,000 head current low dropout rate will require systematic monitoring
teachers in primary and secondary schools, and and ongoing efforts to make sure vulnerable children have
over 200,000 TVET teachers are trained in education access to compulsory education, particularly those who
technology to strengthen their capacities30; have been most affected by the pandemic.
a Online teaching models are rooted at the heart of
The above outlines the priorities for development of
teachers and students such as Massive Open Online
education in China before COVID-19. Once the pandemic
Courses (MOOC), Small Private Online Courses (SPOC),
hit and affected the country in different ways, the ministry
micro-teaching, etc.; and
had to revise their plans, and large-scale online teaching
a Private educational companies have accumulated rich
became an emergency response. Although this resolution
experience in delivering online teaching and learning
has its shortcomings, it provided a way to meet the urgent
such as VIPKid, TutorABC, Xueersi, etc.
need for education continuity. The country can take this
crisis as a turning point and strive to turn the emergency
measures into an opportunity for education reform,
integrate the flexibility and scalability of online teaching
with offline teaching, fully enable new technologies such
as big data, artificial intelligence, and 5G to play a better
role in education reform, and promote the comprehensive,
systematic, digital, and globalized transformation and
development of education.
“We cannot waste this crisis,” stressed Jaime Saavedra,
World Bank Global Director of Education. “This shock
might have lasting negative impacts, but it must be
an opportunity to accelerate, not go back to where
we were before. We will go to a new normal with a
different understanding of the role of parents, teachers,
and technology. A new normal that should be more
effective, more resilient, more equitable, and more
inclusive. We owe it to our children31.”EFFECTS OF AND RESPONSE TO COVID-19 ON THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN CHINA 24
2.2. Effects of COVID-19 One emerging lesson from the coronavirus epidemic in
China, as well as in the rest of the world, is that while
against four dimensions everyone may be affected, those already vulnerable are
(Access to and participation likely to be more severely impacted. People who are
already susceptible have less capacity to cope with the
in learning, safe operations, impact of infection; they have limited access to social
health/well-being/ services, medical or social protection, and have less
capacity to cope economically with the consequences of
protection, and finance) an outbreak33.
Vulnerable groups were at risk of becoming more exposed
The unexpected outbreak of COVID-19, first detected in
during the pandemic. In the process of the educational
Wuhan, quickly swept through the country and brought
crisis response, home learning, online teaching and other
China suddenly into strict lockdowns in early 2020.
measures may result in greater inequalities for these
The epidemic was regarded as a major public-health
groups. The development of educational information and
emergency; it had the fastest spread, the widest range of
technology was not balanced between regions and schools,
infections, and the most difficult prevention and control
so the outbreak was likely to further exacerbate the digital
since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in
divide between the rich and better-resourced, and the poor
1949. It touched every aspect of people’s daily life. China
and poorly equipped regions and schools. Some vulnerable
has been responding effectively through a whole-nation
groups had difficulty in obtaining adequate educational
mobilization approach. With united solidarity, the country
resources, which affected the goal of promoting equitable
has worked together to fight the virus. This section will
education. Many parents in poor families not only found
briefly present a picture of the effects of COVID-19 in
it difficult to provide support for their children’s learning,
China, and how these were responded to.
but also faced greater financial pressure due to job cuts or
As part of containment measures, all schools were salary reduction.
closed. During the school closures, the DCUL initiative
Under the policy guidance of the education authorities,
was launched to maintain learning continuity in the spring
schools reached out to include disadvantaged groups
semester; that is, adopting distance teaching and learning
in DCUL. Investigations were carried out to identify
via online platforms to replace face-to-face provision. Later,
and register children from poor families, and those
the schools gradually reopened based on the progress
whose parents were medical staff and academically
made in COVID-19 prevention and control. By the end of
left-behind children. Individual support was then offered
the spring semester in 2020, 202 million students had
to guarantee their access to DCUL and mental health
returned to campus, which accounted for 75 per cent of
support, including tablet donation, free internet access,
the total student population (Table 4). Most importantly, no
bandwidth improvement, posting paper-based textbooks,
cluster infection in schools has been reported between
etc34. Children of medical workers, from poor families,
reopening and the date this report was written.
whose parents lost jobs or were infected, were the four
main target groups prioritized for financial assistance and
student care during the pandemic.
TA B L E 4 | C O V I D -19 S I T UAT I O N I N C H I N A A S O F 2 0 JA N UA R Y, 2 0 21 3 2
CASES – DEATHS – DEATHS –
CASES – TRANSMISSION
NAME NEWLY REPORTED IN CUMULATIVE NEWLY REPORTED
CUMULATIVE TOTAL CLASSIFICATION
LAST 24 HOURS TOTAL IN LAST 24 HOURS
Global 94,963,847 496,206 2,050,857 12,933
China 99,291 165 4,807 2 Cluster of casesCHINA CASE STUDY 25
Access to and participation Survival and Development of Rural Girls in Central and
Western China 2016 indicated that rural girls do more
in learning family chores and for longer periods of time37, and the
The DCUL initiative, as discussed in more depth later Research on National Rural Left-behind Children (rural
in Chapter 3, was the main measure taken to sustain children whose parents left their hometowns to work,
education continuity for students. However, studying mostly in urban areas, while children remained in their
at home alone via online platforms and resources had a domicile) showed that girls do more chores than boys.
negative impact on student participation in learning and
From a quick review by MoE, the data showed that
their interaction with peers and teachers, when ordinary
COVID-19 did not result in obvious dropout or attendance
face-to-face classes were suspended.
issues during the pandemic in China. As of 15 September,
2020, it is reported by MoE that the number of dropouts
Learners
decreased from 600,000 in 2019 to 6,718 in June 2020,
The epidemic disrupted ordinary education for all students. a decrease of about 98.9 per cent. It indicated that the
They had to adapt to online learning and experienced a pandemic did not have much impact on student access to
variety of difficulties: education, although the participation and quality of access
of vulnerable groups will still need more attention.
a Lack of self-learning abilities and self-regulation to
learn effectively at home. DCUL shortened the length
Teachers
of online teaching based on the learning objectives.
Students had to preview, review and complete tasks Like offline education, teachers played the most
independently. important role in guaranteeing the effectiveness of online
a Disengagement in online educational activities. It took teaching and learning. In China, MoE has been taking
time for students to develop online and independent measures for decades to strengthen the ICT skills for
learning skills. This resulted in poorer interaction and teachers and integrate it with education provision. The
participation in their learning, which impacts on their Competence Standard of Teachers to Apply ICT in Primary
outcomes. and Secondary Schools (Phase 1) was completed and
a Potential damage to eyesight from watching video progressed to Phase 2. More than 10 million teachers
lessons for hours, especially primary school children. were trained cumulatively. Over 80 per cent of primary and
Though one lesson was limited to 15-20 minutes, they secondary teachers used ICT in their daily teaching38. They
accumulated hours of close-screen work, as all lessons also initiated the Internet Plus Education Program and the
were recorded and presented to students through National Teacher Trainings on ICT Skills Improvement. Tools,
digital devices. platforms, and the environment have been developed and
a Lack of computer and internet in poor families and established for online education. However, there were still
remote areas limited disadvantaged groups’ ability to gaps in teachers’ knowledge and skills to use these tools
access and participate in online education. As shown and platforms effectively, as well as embedding modern
in recent statistics, Chinese households with internet ICT methods into teaching39. With the launch of large-scale
access and a personal computer only accounted distance education, teachers were confronted with five
for 47.4 per cent and 46.7 per cent of all households main challenges, listed below.
respectively35.
a Teachers were unfamiliar with the online teaching
a Increased risk of dropping out for children from poor
and learning platforms and tools. When schools all
families in remote areas and of migrant workers. Due
closed on 17 February, 2020, teachers had to cope
to job losses, salary cuts and movement restrictions,
with different types of platforms overnight, and
the livelihood of low-income families were more likely
deliver instruction to the students without preparation.
to be deteriorated. This has directly contributed to an
Although ICT training has been part of the national
increase of drop-out risks for these children.
training programmes, it turned out to be inadequate
a Girls do more chores in families, then have less time
in responding to large-scale online teaching. It was
to participate in learning – especially girls in rural areas
challenging for the older teachers, who had taught
and daughters of migrant workers. There was no
for many years in ordinary face-to-face settings40, and
updated data available on how much time girls spent in
rural teachers who were weaker with ICT applications,
family chores during the pandemic. However, a China
communication tools, online assessment and
Family Panel Study in 2018 found that the time girls
courseware development41 .
did chores was 4.08 hours weekly – much higher than
the 2.91 hours per week for boys36. The Report on theYou can also read
